The government has mandated Grab Philippines to transfer whatever is left unclaimed of the P6.6 million it still has to refund its app users initially to the Philippine Competition Commission for eventual remittance to the Treasury.
This surfaced on Tuesday in the wake of a PCC resolution directing the transport, food delivery and payment platform to reimburse in full all its users or pay a stiff price for noncompliance.
Under the PCC guidelines, Grab were to undertake a four-week public notice asking affected Grab users to come forward and claim a refund after which a final 60-day period is allowed before any more claims are forfeited.
Prior to this, Grab Philippines was at its wit’s end on how best to comply with the refund directive when a significant number of platform users no longer use the app, have gone abroad or simply have lost interest in seeking a refund.
The directive has also become a dilemma as the PCC levied the enterprise with a P9 million fine for delaying compliance.
This time, however, Grab Philippines said it can make good on its commitment to effect a refund in full not later than this Friday.
Grab Philippines director for public affairs and lawyer Sherielysse Bonifacio said the enterprise is “working on the implementation and will be ready to implement as early as Friday,” beginning with the publication requirement of the PCC.
Bonifacio said Grab welcomes the PCC resolution having earlier committed to comply with the agency’s directives and refund Grab users for trips taken between 2018 and 2019.
She said Grab has successfully refunded P18.78 million to riders or 73.8 percent of the P25.4 million Grab had been ordered to return.
“We never thought of reneging on our obligation to refund the P25.4 million from passengers,” Bonifacio said in Tagalog.
Grab previously informed the PCC of difficulties in meeting its directives.
